


Fright

by LadiesLoveLoki



Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 16:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3388286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadiesLoveLoki/pseuds/LadiesLoveLoki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom comes home to find something unpleasant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fright

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place down the line in Tom’s and Samantha’s relationship. (The character of Samantha Barns is the brainchild of the lovely iroleplaynow. I’m just borrowing her for this particular performance. I’ll even be nice and wash her and everything before I put her back.)

He sighed, running a hand through his hair; it had been a  _very_ long two days in the boardroom, while he and his Board of Directors, along with everyone else in the company, worked tirelessly throughout yesterday, last night, this morning, and this afternoon to prevent a crisis within the company.  Thankfully, said crisis had been averted.  Perhaps, he thought, he should throw a sort of congratulatory party for everyone who had worked so hard these past few days.

He looked guiltily up at the front door of his palatial home from his car; poor Samantha had been so shamefully neglected this past week because of his work.  And Samantha… his sweet, adorable, lovely Samantha…hadn’t made a peep of complaint. 

“I understand”, she’d said.  “Work stuff happens.  Go get ‘em.  Make ‘em quake in their expensive shoes and multi thousand dollar suits!!”

He got out of his car, and went into the house.  He immediately knew something was off because she hadn’t launched herself into his arms to greet him, like she did every time he came home. 

“Samantha?” he called. 

Silence. 

He furrowed his brow worriedly, handing his coat to Edward, his faithful butler, who had silently materialized by his side, like he always did.

“She’s upstairs, Master Hiddleston”, Edward said.

“Is she all right?” he asked. 

“She’d gotten a package early this morning and took it upstairs…she’s not been downstairs since”, Edward said.  “I heard her scream, and went upstairs to find out what was wrong…I’d tried to get her to come out of the bedroom, but she’d locked the door and hasn’t answered my entreaties to open it.”

Tom’s brow furrowed more as he looked to his watch.  With a start, he realized that it was past 7pm.  He turned, running up the steps to the bedroom. 

“Why didn’t you call me??” Tom barked, knowing that Edward was on his heels.

“I tried, Sir, but your phone was off.  I’d also tried your office, and all of your other emergency numbers, and I was told that you could not be reached.”

Tom grimaced when he realized he was right.  He’d turned off his phone to avoid distractions while the crisis at work was handled.  He cursed himself for it; Samantha could have been trying to call him and he never would have gotten her messages.  As for the others, he would find out why these calls weren’t forwarded directly to him.  For now, he had more pressing matters to handle.

He got to the bedroom door, and rapped his knuckles gently on it.

“Samantha”, he murmured.  “Samantha, open the door…it’s Tom…”

No answer.

He dug into his pocket for his keys, and got his skeleton key out to open the bedroom door.  To his surprise, he found that the room was empty. 

“Samantha?”

He saw a box on the bed that was opened.  Tissue paper was lying next to it, a few pieces of it having fallen off the bed. 

He went up to it, and reached in, taking out the offending object, and he scowled hard.

It was a doll of a clown.

Many people would have dismissed this little doll, but he knew better.

His Samantha was **_TERRIFIED_** of clowns. 

He reached into the box again, and found a card.

_‘Just a little something to remember me by. –G’_

In that moment, he knew who it was from, and he saw the ‘gift’ for what it was.  Even now, Greg Prowse was  _still_ harassing His Lady.

He made a mental note to find the man and make him beg for death.  Even then, he would not do him that kindness.  When he’d had his fun and tired of hearing his screams, he’d make him disappear for good.  He honestly didn’t think anyone would miss him.

He took the doll, the tissue paper, the box, and the card and went to the bedroom door, and handed them over to Edward, who was standing outside.

“Ensure that these are destroyed”, Tom said gravely.

Edward nodded, taking the offending objects and walking off.

Tom turned back to the bedroom at large, and looked around.  He checked the bathroom.  Nothing.

He furrowed his brow in thought, before he heard a soft noise coming from the closet.  With a gentle sigh, he went to said closet, opening it to find his Samantha curled up in a ball in the back corner of said closet, hugging her knees which were pulled up to her chest.  Her brilliant red hair was back in a messy bun, and she was still wearing her pajamas.

She looked up at him with red rimmed, puffy eyes, and a box of tissues next to her.  She sniffled, blowing her nose.

“Hi”, she said meekly.

Tom crouched in front of her.  “Darling”, he sighed fondly, reaching out to gently pet her hair.  “Please, come out.”

She looked warily past him into the bedroom.

“Is it gone?” she asked in a tiny voice.

“It’s gone”, he said soothingly.  “Edward took it away to destroy it.  It will no longer occupy space in this house.”

She moved so that she was on her knees and shuffled towards him to wrap her arms around him. 

Tom wrapped his arms around her in response, and picked her up, carrying her out of the closet.  He noticed her peek, afraid, to the bed, and felt her relax when all traces of evidence of the ‘gift’ were nowhere to be seen. 

He sat on the bed, helping her to calm down by holding her close to his body, petting her hair while he hummed soothingly, and moving back and forth in a gentle rocking motion. 

“I…I’m being so silly”, she sniffled.

“No.  You’re not”, Tom said, tucking her head under his chin.  “You have a fear of something, and only a degenerate would purposely provoke it.”

She sighed, snuggling against him.  “Probably shoulda just binned it when it came…I already got two other not so good deliveries….”

Tom froze, looking down at her.  “You got others?” he whispered.

She nodded. 

“Darling…why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, gently stroking her tear streaked face.

She was quiet for a long moment, busying herself with fiddling with his collar.  “You were so busy and working so hard…I didn’t want to bother you”, she said quietly.

 A fresh wave of guilt, stronger than ever before, washed over him.  “Oh, Samantha”, he breathed, holding her close to him.  “Don’t ever feel that you’re a bother.  If something’s happening that hurts you or makes you afraid, I want to know about it.   **_NO MATTER WHAT I’M DOING_**.”  He kissed her gently.  “I’ve so shamefully neglected you this past few days, and I’m sorry.” 

“No need to apologize”, she replied quietly.  “Like I’ve told you before, work things happen that you don’t plan for.”

He sighed again.  A thought occurred to him.  “Now the crisis at work is over, I think we could use a holiday.”

She peeked up at him.  “Where would we go?” she asked.

“Anywhere you want”, he replied.  “Just tell me where, and we will be on the jet, on our way tomorrow morning.”

Samantha bit her lip.  “I’ve always wanted to go to Florence…” she said thoughtfully.

“Then Florence it will be”, he murmured, kissing her gently.  “We’ll take a whole weekend.”

She nodded.  “Sounds amazing”, she sighed, finally relaxing fully against him.  Leave it to Tom to be her White Knight, fighting away all her fears. 

“You go on and take a nice, long shower.  I’ll do the packing.”


End file.
